MS Dhoni's chance to answer critics after average England series

MS Dhoni struggled to get quick runs in the limited-overs series against England earlier in the year.

advertisement

Ranit Das

Dubai

September 14, 2018

UPDATED: September 14, 2018 16:26 IST

MS Dhoni will have the chance to bat up the order and score runs at the Asia Cup in UAE (Reuters Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

MS Dhoni struggled with the bat against England in the limited-overs series

Dhoni scored 79 runs from 125 balls in two innings against England

Dhoni was booed at Lord's for his slow batting

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all set to be back in action in four days time when India play their opening game of the Asia Cup against Hong Kong next Tuesday.

Dhoni will be key to the Rohit Sharma-led India side in UAE not only for his experience but also for his batting, which has drawn some serious criticism lately.

With Virat Kohli taking a rest, India's batting will heavily depend on the openers and Dhoni in a middle-order, that keeps on shuffling. But, that being said, it gives Dhoni the chance to do something that not only he but everyone in the country perhaps feel should be done -- bat at No.4.

Much like KL Rahul, Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav, Dhoni will have a lot to prove to people, who have raised questions about his strike rate and finishing abilities during the limited-overs series in England.

Dhoni's slow batting led to boos from the stands in Lord's as India failed to chase down England's set target of 323 in the second ODI. India were already behind the asking rate when Dhoni walked in to bat at the fall of Virat Kohli's wicket and his approach thereafter was baffling: Dhoni scored 37 off 59 balls and hit only two boundaries.

At the end, when Lord's did reverberate with applause, it was because Dhoni was dismissed by Liam Plunkett in the 47th over of the Indian innings.

In the next ODI as well, Dhoni got runs but failed to hit the ground running, therefore, disappointing the fans. Dhoni managed to score only 79 runs from 125 balls in two innings against England and he was heavily criticised by pundits as well.

"If Dhoni has got to play (in the 2019 World Cup), then he has got to get in a position where he keeps hitting. If it is 24-25 overs and he has got to build an innings, he is struggling at the moment.

"He may turn it around as he has been a great player for India but at the present he is not turning it around enough and this has been going on for more than an year," Ganguly said after the second ODI at Lord's.

MS Dhoni was booed at Lord's for his slow batting in the 2nd ODI against England (AP Photo)

The boos were an unusual sight for a player, who has only been loved wherever he has gone. Dhoni's failure in England was baffling to many because the World Cup-winning captain was coming off a brilliant Indian Premier League, where he led the returning Chennai Super Kings to their third IPL crown just a month ago.

Dhoni scored 455 runs from 18 matches at an average of 40.16 and a strike-rate of 138.19. Mahi smashed 24 boundaries and 30 maximums in the 11th edition of the IPL.

What worked for Dhoni was that he came to bat at No.4 and it gave him time to settle in and take on the bowlers later on. Dhoni's fearless hitting gave fans enough hope going into the England series and the World Cup ahead, that the good-old hard-hitting Dhoni is back but a month later...he was nowhere to be found.

The most obvious reason one could say behind Dhoni's failure in England would be the fact that he came to bat down the order and had less balls to face. And this is where the Asia Cup could change things for the wicket-keeper batsman.

With Kohli not being present at No.3, Dhoni has the chance to come up the order and play the anchor's role before taking on the bowlers towards the end of the innings. With conditions conducive to spin bowling, he will have the chance to get his eye in and then attack the faster bowlers towards the end.

Yes! Dhoni has struggled against the wrist-spinners lately but his experience remains and some lusty blows from the meat of the bat will do him great good in terms of confidence.

Dhoni's role in the batting order will be very important to India's chances in the Asia Cup. With Kohli not being there, teams will fancy their chances against a shaky middle-order and this is where, Dhoni's experience and ability will be really helpful for Rohit and the team.

Also, a great run at No.4 at the Asia Cup, followed by some good innings against West Indies and Australia later in the year, can well give India the answer to their middle-order woes going into the World Cup in England and Wales in June, 2019.

Get real-time alerts and all the news on your phone with the all-new India Today app. Download from